While Judd Apatow and his Bridesmaids director Paul Feig, begin development on their latest untitled collaboration for Universal, the zeitgeist capturing comedy creator has been steadily teasing news of his next directorial effort, the Knocked Up spin-off with the working title This Is Forty. This feature will center on Pete & Debbie, the not-so-happily married couple played by Paul Rudd and Leslie Mann in the original. Though little else is known about the film’s plot, Variety has unveiled some recent additions to the Apatow mafia may soon join This.
Fresh from his success in Bridesmaids, newly minted romantic lead Chris O’Dowd is in talks, along with Tiny Furniture writer/director Lena Dunham, who is sharing executive producing duties with Apatow on her impending HBO comedy series Girls, and quirky comedienne Charlyne Yi, who memorably appeared in Knocked Up as a stoned but philosophizing girlfriend, Jodi. If these talented and unique comedy stars do indeed sign on to the film (which seems a safe bet), they’ll join Megan Fox, who continues to confuse me by popping up in promising properties, and Albert Brooks, who will play Rudd’s father, who we can assume will be of the pain-in-the-ass variety. While Dunham and O’Dowd would be playing employees at the Pete’s record company, Yi would be reprising her role as Jodi, leaving me to wonder if any other Knocked Up cast members may make appearances…
What do you make of the latest cast additions? Who else would you like to see re-appear in This Is Forty?